1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector having grounding means, and more particularly to an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394b electrical connector having grounding means for eliminating interference caused by static electricity, thereby ensuring reliable signal transmission between the connector and a complementary connector.
2. Description of Related Art
IEEE 1394b connectors are commonly used to connect external and internal peripheral devices to a computer for performing high speed data transmission therebetween. These connectors typically employ a plug connector terminated to a transmission cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board of the computer. The receptacle connector comprises an insulative housing having a base portion and a mating portion, a plurality of conductive terminals retained in the housing, an inner metal shell enclosing the mating portion of the housing for electromagnetic interference protection, and an outer metal shield enclosing both the housing and the inner shell for further electromagnetic interference protection. During the signal transmission process, static electricity accumulates on the insulative housing. In order to discharge the static electricity, the inner shell and the outer shield should be connected to grounding traces of the circuit board for grounding. The outer shield can be conveniently connected to the grounding traces of the circuit board via grounding tabs integrally extending from sidewalls thereof.
However, because the inner shell is received in the outer shield and is partly embedded in the insulative housing, it is difficult to connect the inner shell to the grounding traces of the circuit board. An existing inner shell has been designed to have integral grounding tabs for electrical connection with the grounding traces of the circuit board. However, each grounding tab is connected with the inner shell via a narrow connecting portion therebetween which has a weak mechanical strength. When a mating plug connector is inserted into or pulled out from the receptacle connector, inappropriate inserting and pulling forces may cause the connecting portion to break, whereby the grounding tab is ineffective. Furthermore, assembly of the integrally formed inner shell to the insulative housing becomes difficult.
Hence, a receptacle connector with improved inner shell grounding means is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the related art. The copending application titled xe2x80x9cRECEPTACLE CONNECTOR WITH GROUNDING TABSxe2x80x9d with an unknown serial number, the same applicants and the same assignee, filed on Dec. 27, 2001, discloses some approach of implementation.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle connector having inner shell grounding means for eliminating static electricity, thereby ensuring reliable signal transmission between the connector and a complementary connector.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle connector having individually made inner shell and grounding tabs, the grounding tabs being capable of conveniently and reliably connecting the inner shell to grounding traces of a circuit board on which the receptacle connector is mounted.
In order to achieve the objects set forth, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing having a base portion and a pair of support walls projecting from a front face of the base portion, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, a shell enclosing the support walls of the housing, and a grounding tab securely retained in the housing. A plurality of passageways are defined through the support walls and the base portion for receiving the terminals. The terminals include mating portions disposed along the support walls for engaging with corresponding terminals of a complementary plug connector, and tail portions for being soldered to a circuit board on which the connector is mounted. The shell comprises a projection rearwardly extending from a sidewall thereof. The projection has a cutout at a free end thereof and a lug located below the cutout. The grounding tab includes a body portion securely received in the base portion, a solder portion extending in a direction perpendicularly to the body portion for electrical connection with a grounding trace of the circuit board, and a spring arm integrally punched from the body portion. The spring arm has an abutment abutting against the lug of the shell. Thus, a reliable grounding path is established between the shell and the circuit board.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.